*******Representation in America's Legislatures*******

***README FILE***

This zip file contains data for the Minnesota Senate:

mns9900_README.txt: Explains the layout of roll call data files and provides general project
information
mns9900_rc.dta: Stata 8SE file containing roll call data
mns9900_rc.csv: Comma delimited text file containing roll call data
mns9900_summaries.txt: Text file containing bill summary information for matching roll calls

Attribution: If you use the data, please include this citation:
Wright, Gerald. 2004. "Representation in America's Legislatures." Indiana University: National Science
Foundation Grant.

Funding for the Representation in America's Legislatures project was provided by the Political Science
Program of the Division of Social and Economic Sciences of the National Science Foundation (SES-0094635
and SES-0242571).

**Important Notes
Only competitive roll calls are included in these files.  A competitive roll call is one in which 5% or
more of legislators voting voted in the minority.  All roll calls with less than 5% of legislators
voting in the minority are defined as non-competitive and not included in these files.

For a detailed description of the roll call collection see:
http://www.indiana.edu/~ral/ral_papers.htm

**Roll Call Files:

Variable Identification:
chid: Chamber identification: state abbreviation plus chamber (s=senate, h=house) (string)
dist: Legislator's district (string)
first: First name of legislator (string)
last: Last name of legislator (string)
pid: Party identification: 0=Republican, 1=Democrat, 2=Other, 4=Party Switcher during session (numeric)
rc's: 0=no, 1=yes, All other votes=. (numeric)

NOTES: -Kinkel (4) won a special election on December 14, 1999 to replace 
	Ten Eyck (appointed to MN district court)
       -Kierlin (32) won a special election on April 13, 1999 to replace
        Morse (resigned for Deputy Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)
       -Ring (18) won a special election on November 2, 1999 to replace
        Janet Johnson (died) 
       -Ziegler (26) won a speical election on March 30, 1999 to replace
        Beckman (resigned to head US Farm Service Agency)
       -Dean Johnson (15) switched from Republican to Democrat on January 12, 2000

**Summary File:

Complete bill summary information included
See summary file mns9900_summaries.txt for more details.
